Look Out For Tax Scams

Fraudulent companies and individuals take advantage of American taxpayers every year. The tax scammers use deception—and commonly prey on elderly persons—to acquire sensitive personal information.

Our tax attorneys in Chapel Hill report on tax scams annually that affect not only North Carolina taxpayers, but those nationally. These scams sometimes “phish” through modern web designs and false names to give the appearance they are official government emails or sites, while other scams are exclusively phone-based and target unsuspecting persons.

Tax season is not the only time individuals should be suspicious of fraud. Our attorneys wrote a post about the North Carolina back tax scam, and individuals should be cognizant of charity frauds too. At the same time Americans started to research the Affordable Care Act, health care reform scams offered fake insurance, opened lines of credit, and stole Social Security Numbers from innocent people.

As technology changes, Americans are not only being targeted with fake emails and imposter websites, but they may also be involved in a text message scam. Some criminals are using mass text messaging services to send blanket messages in hopes a few responses will reveal critical personal data.

The IRS issued reminders to help spread awareness and prevent identity theft and financial loss among American taxpayers. As always, taxpayers should keep their Social Security Number secure and only provide it when absolutely required. Decline providing personal information over the phone unless you verify the number is secure and you initiate the call. In addition to annually checking your credit report, change your passwords for all accounts on a regular basis. Hacks or information leaks may not use data right away, and you could be the target in the future. Routinely changing your passwords can help prevent theft.